<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>just because (i love you) by ryukyubat (edbloom)</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28048683">just because (i love you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/edbloom/pseuds/ryukyubat'>ryukyubat (edbloom)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Nonbinary Character, man... idk what to tell you except that they love each other and its christmas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:40:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,157</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28048683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/edbloom/pseuds/ryukyubat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Minghao has never really celebrated Christmas, but that all changes when Seungkwan waltzes in to their life.</p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>  <em> I know things that you don't know<br/>Why it rains and why it snows<br/>Not because the heavens cry,<br/>Not because of the cloudy sky<br/>Just because I love you </em></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boo Seungkwan/Xu Ming Hao | The8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>just because (i love you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>merry christmas!</p><p>thought to drop this because it's currently the first snow day in SoKor. </p><p>i hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! and i hope you all celebrate it with the people you adore ^^</p><p>also !! minghao's pronouns are he/they, so please don't be confused with the pronoun shift (i've just been writing more n-b characters lately and i thought to try this one out).</p><p>anyways, enjoy !!</p><p>- ely</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was supposed to be a surprise.</p><p> </p><p>Minghao has been planning this for weeks now, staying up at the shadowed hours of the night, crocheting until his hands felt like they were going to fall off. They glance at the box beside their feet. Tiny crocheted Christmas wreaths with a layer of snow on them, hand-crafted poinsettias, and hand-painted Christmas balls, just to name a few—all stuffed inside a box they had hidden in the deep corners of their shared closet. His blood, sweat and tears poured into all these little trinkets, just for Seungkwan. The very thought makes Minghao smile.</p><p> </p><p>He has never been one to celebrate Christmas, a habit given to them by his surgeon parents who never really had the time nor the energy to entertain a hyper two year old—it wasn't really sad since they made up for it when New Year and Chinese New Year came, but nonetheless, Minghao carried the habit until they were well into their 20s. Except for right now, he guesses.</p><p> </p><p>Hansol had managed to slip into their conversation months back how much Seungkwan adored Christmas. How much he adored the first snow romance and setting up the Christmas tree, how he binge-watched Hallmark movies once the Christmas mood seeps in, and how he always had a tray of cookies and a mug of hot chocolate by his side every Christmas morning, just watching the snow fall. Hansol calls it a part of Seungkwan's dramatics, but all Minghao feels is fondness. Give it to Seungkwan to do everything with every drip of passion in his body, even with celebrating his favorite holiday.</p><p> </p><p>They don't voice that out though—god knows, how ugly of an expression Hansol's face will morph into when Minghao airs out his adoration. But they do plan, in the secret crevices of their mind, the one they don't show to Seungkwan, Minghao plans.</p><p> </p><p>The plan used to be that they'll bribe Hansol into giving them his keys on the 22nd, and how he'll bake gingerbread cookies and prepare Hallmark movies, and surprise Seungkwan when he gets home. The plan backfires and complicates, much to Minghao's grief and excitement, when Seungkwan moves in with him, a couple of months after the whole conversation with Hansol.</p><p> </p><p>So Minghao plans, again, a whole new different plan—this one more elaborate, and a lot harder to hide because they now sleep and live under one roof with the love of their life, the one that they're planning to surprise.</p><p> </p><p>And so the new plan goes like this: Minghao will hand-craft every Christmas ornament that he can (Seungkwan goes home before they do and Minghao knows how curious Seungkwan is and how he is terribly aware of how soft and compliant Minghao can be when it comes to him and how exactly he can use this against Minghao) and the few ornaments they have to buy is stuffed into the inner corners of their already full book bag, they'll call for a leave on the 22nd, and use the whole day to setting up the apartment. Minghao will put Seungkwan's Christmas tree up but will not decorate it, just because he knows how much Seungkwan would love for the both of them to decorate it together. He'll prepare hot chocolate (Italian because he knows Seungkwan has been wanting to try that, ingredients already hidden inside their pantry), and bake brownies (the one with orange zest in it because that's how Seungkwan's mom prepares it).</p><p> </p><p>It'll be nice, and sweet, and everything Seungkwan deserves.</p><p> </p><p>Well, it was supposed to be because the 22nd meets Minghao with the one thing that could ruin his whole plan—<em>work</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Apparently, a coworker mismanaged one of the exhibits for their open gallery tomorrow, and they're calling Minghao in to fix up their mess because said coworker was already out of town.</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, Minghao's carefully and tediously crafted plan falls beneath his feet.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>By the time Minghao gets home, he's absolutely drained and all he wants to do is fall onto his bed (and cry, probably, Minghao hasn't really forgotten the failed surprise). But his steps fall short when he opens the door, and he's welcomed with Seungkwan on a stepping stool beside their cityscape windows, hanging Christmas lights on the leaf garland. His heart almost bursts when he notices the crocheted wreaths hanging from the same garland. He looks around and he spots the knitted socks tacked on their bedroom door, the hand-crafted poinsettias in a cylinder vase on their coffee table with some of the hand-painted Christmas balls stuffed below it, carefully done seeing as the painted side is facing the outside of the vase, and the barren tree beside their TV.</p><p> </p><p>Each time he looks around, Minghao feels the tears start to build. Something about all of this, something about seeing Seungkwan—</p><p> </p><p>Fatigue and stress melt from their bones when Seungkwan glances at them, a wide smile on his lips.</p><p> </p><p>Minghao swears they could cry.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey," Seungkwan calls out, soft and malleable, smile still so prettily crafted on his lips. "I kept some of the ornaments in the box for the tree," he says, stepping down from the stool, making his way to Minghao. "I was thinking we could decorate it together. You and me."</p><p> </p><p><em>You and me</em>.</p><p> </p><p>And maybe it's because Minghao's still kind of sad, or maybe it's because Minghao wishes he could show Seungkwan as much affection as he shows them, or maybe it's because the sight of seeing Seungkwan treating their place like his home is enough to leave them breathless and exhilirated. Maybe, it's all of the above, but Minghao feels their chest explode, incredibly gory and undeniably in love with this boy.</p><p> </p><p>Arms envelope Seungkwan in a hug, before they finally burst into tears. Minghao can't really stop themself—something about <em>this</em> moment right here, it was supposed to be a surprise for Seungkwan, something to show him that Minghao's home was his home too, but maybe, Minghao never really understood the word 'home' either, maybe, he never really considered this place <em>home</em> before Seungkwan came. Or maybe, even with the short span of time they've been together, Minghao already sees him as home. He doesn't really know, all he does know is how much he wishes he could capture this moment right now with his film camera.</p><p> </p><p>"You okay, bab?" Seungkwan whispers, hand rubbing Minghao's back. Minghao thinks he could burst over and over again at the sound of Seungkwan's voice.</p><p> </p><p>"All good," Minghao says, swallowing down tears, arms tightening around Seungkwan and head burying on his shoulder. "There's chocolate in the vegetable crisper," they whisper against Seungkwan's skin. Minghao can almost feel the shiver that rises from his spine.</p><p> </p><p>"Hot chocolate?" Seungkwan asks, voice tinged with cotton-soft happiness, tapping a small beat on Minghao's hips.</p><p> </p><p>"Italian," Minghao whispers, leaving small kisses on the side of Seungkwan's neck. "Just for you."</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>twt:<br/><a href="http:/twitter.com/wzcle">@wzcle</a></p><p>cc:<br/><a href="http:/curiouscat.me/junle">@junle</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>